The present disclosure relates generally to an arrangement for, and a method of, securing a data capture session of a portable, handheld data capture device to prevent loss of captured data in the event that the portable device has been dropped from a user's hand.
Many different types of portable, handheld data capture devices, such as readers, smartphones, tablets, mobile computers, or like electronic devices and terminals, are held and operated, by human users in various venues, such as retail stores, factories, warehouses, distribution centers, buildings, or like controlled indoor and outdoor areas. For example, one type of portable data capture device can be a mobile radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) tag reader for reading RFID tags, or a mobile near field communication (NFC) tag reader for reading NFC tags, each tag being associated with products located in the venue. Another type of portable data capture device can be a mobile, bar code symbol reader, either moving laser beam-based or imager-based, for electro-optically reading bar code symbols associated with the products. Still another type of portable data capture device can be a mobile terminal or computer, such as a smartphone with an onboard camera for capturing images of various targets, such as the bar code symbols and/or the products. In operation, such portable data capture devices are electrically powered by an onboard battery, and are operated to perform their data capture functions, typically while being held in one of the user's hands.
Although generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, the portable devices may inadvertently be dropped and fall from the users' hands during a data capture or reading session. Any unsaved data is lost. The loss of such data compromises the accuracy of the reading session.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to prevent the loss of any such unsaved data in the event that such a portable device is inadvertently dropped from a user's hand during a reading session.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The arrangement and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.